Khartoum, March 5(Darfur24) Speaking exclusively to Darfur24, head of UNITAMS mission, Volker Peretz called for opening a direct and indirect dialogue between the parties to the crisis in the country, after the end of extensive consultations.
In an interview with Darfur 24, Volcker revealed the features of the second phase of the political process in Sudan launched by the mission last January.
The head of the UN mission said that the differences are not limited only between the civilian and military component, adding that there are differences and discrepancies between the components of the one bloc, and the mission wants, in the end, to reach a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue in which the United Nations plays the role of facilitator, according to his speech.
United Nations mission to support the transition in Sudan was established by Security Council Resolution (2524) in June 2020, and Volcker began his duties in February 2021, but a remarkable role for the mission emerged when the transition path collided with the coup of October 25, 2021, as it actively sought to restore the transitional situation.
On the question of Darfur 24 that the mission seeks to create a new transition, while its mission is to support the transition, Volcker considers that the mission’s efforts to restore the transitional path after the coup do not intersect with its mission limititation to supporting the transition, adding that the mission took a different form. “If the path is interrupted, it is our duty to provide assistance to return to the path of transition, and the Sudanese are the ones who decide to continue the transitional path or create a new transition” he said, adding that the mission is committed to the mandate of the Security Council.
A war of words erupted between the civil and military components, which ended with the coup of the army commander; Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on October 25th ousting his civilian partners . “If the Sudanese do not find a way out of the crisis, we will lose this country”said volker.
Volcker is not inclined to give a definitive answer about whether he sees success for his initiative, but he stresses that Sudan is on a dangerous path and that all the parties he met have a growing sense of the gravity of the situation.
It seems that the head of the mission takes into consideration the issue of the multiplicity of armies in Sudan and the dilemma of the existence of some of them that are economically and militarily independent, such as “rapid support.” Volcker said (I spoke a lot, that no country would be stable if there were many armies), adding that the consultations he conducted obtained broad consensus on The necessity of reaching a unified army under a civilian leadership, but he said (the devil is in the details).
On the fate of the role of the military institution with the escalation of demands for civilian rule, Volcker said that all those he interviewed unanimously agreed on the role of the military, including those who criticize the military,” according to his speech. Volcker: “It is not true that all international support has stopped” He believes that there is an urgent need for a political consensus on a constitutional arrangement agreed upon by all actors. He bears in mind the “enormous” security and economic challenges surrounding the country, which in his view affect political stability. Volcker believes that structural issues such as the relationship of the center with the margin and the issue of identity have not been resolved since The country’s independence, adding that there are enough proposals to solve these problems, and all of this needs political stability to solve it.
In response to a question about what the international community can do to stop the economic collapse, especially since support stopped after the October 25 coup, he answered “it is not true that all international support has stopped” he says that humanitarian aid continues, including health support related to Covid-19, and there are some funded projects From donor countries that are implemented through the United Nations institutions, and this is continuing, but it is true that most donor countries suspended part of the aid, as well as the World Bank, in the light of the fact that the debt relief agreement is stuck. He continued “we are calling on the international community to increase aid, for example, regarding the return of Sudanese fighters from Libya, which is aid related to the stability of the region as a whole and is not far from the issue of security arrangements that seem to be troubling the UN mission, and Volcker said that the mission repeatedly complained in its reports to the Security Council about the failure of security arrangements ,but El Fasher’s last meeting put it into practice. A rare meeting last February, held in El Fasher, headed by the army chief, resolved the issue of starting the implementation of security arrangements, and a number of movements announced the arrival of their forces to the assembly points, marking the start of implementation.
Little return of Sudanese fighters in Libya Volcker stressed the need to complete these arrangements for the sake of stability in Darfur, and revealed a small return of the 9,000 Sudanese fighters from Libya. Represent the majority in the Sudanese military presence in Libya. “All armed movements have a presence in Libya, including the ones that are fighting the Sudanese government now,” Volcker added. Volcker stresses the need for fighters to return to their countries and integrate into the regular forces, but he takes into account the incentives to stay in Libya, including moving to another site of conflict if they are put in place. Consider the financial gain.
Regarding the differences with the African Union that were reported by press reports in the past few days, Volcker only said (Next week you will see real cooperation between us). On the calls for partial elections, the head of the UNTAMS mission said that any date that sets elections must take into account the arrangements and requirements for elections, a commission, an election law, a registered parties law, and others. Volcker points out that there are more than (5) million Sudanese who do not have an identity, and continued. (This is what must be provided in order for the elections to be acceptable to all.
He added that the President of the Sovereignty Council always talks about dialogue, but we tell him that you have a great responsibility to create an appropriate atmosphere for dialogue and mechanisms in the hands of the authority.